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All the World's a Stage in Santa Fe

Join us for the viewing of Shakespeare's First Folio

Jenny's View

Dear Friends,

Why would anyone want to go look at a dusty old book? Maybe because this particular tome, besides being nearly four centuries old, helped save the words of the most famous poet in the English language. In Shakespeare’s time, plays were written to be performed, not read. Yet, two of his actors compiled a volume of plays to save for posterity—which is what makes the so-called First Folio a ‘Holy Grail’ for Shakespeare enthusiasts. And Santa Fe has plenty of these!

For us, it’s just another example of how culture easily blooms in our desert, even in the middle of winter—which, along with Santa Fe Restaurant Week, offers yet another reason to love our fair city, making parting in such sweet sorrow. According to Carmen Vendelin, a curator at the New Mexico Museum of Art, our many Shakespeare societies, reading groups, and acting troupes in the City Different helped convince the Folger Shakespeare Library to make Santa Fe the one location in our state to host a copy of the touring First Folio, which is being exhibited in only one venue per state.

Schools, libraries, theater troupes, and Shakespeare experts around Northern New Mexico have eagerly signed on to host dozens of free performances, readings, talks, and other events this month. It’s a great opportunity for New Mexicans to connect with a treasured artifact of Western civilization, Carmen noted—especially here, in the city that already had been settled in Shakespeare’s time. La Fonda is even offering a special package through February in honor of the First Folio tour.

Till the morrow,

Jennifer Lea Kimball

Recipe For Adventure

This hearty soup is the perfect starter for a heavy winter dinner, or works great for lunch with some crusty bread. Your house will smell amazing while it’s cooking and it’s so delicious, that it’s a guaranteed hit. Serve with your favorite corn bread and garnish with shredded cheese, crispy bacon or jalapeños.

Green Chile Corn Chowder, Yields 1 gal - Serves 8-10

INGREDIENTS

1# Roasted Hatch green chile, small diced

8oz Onions, small diced

8oz Celery, small diced

2oz Green peppers, small diced

4oz Red peppers, small diced

2# Sweet corn, fresh or frozen

2# Russet potatoes, diced

5oz flour

½ gal vegetable stock, hot

16oz heavy cream, hot

16oz Half & Half, hot

8oz whole butter

1ea bay leaves

Tabasco, to taste

Worcestershire, to taste

Cayenne, to taste

Salt and white pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Sweat the onions, celery, green chile and peppers in butter.

Add flour to make a roux, cook this for five or so minutes to get a blonde roux.

Add hot vegetable stock to this slowly while stirring constantly.

Puree ½ the corn and add it with the potatoes to the soup.

Cook this until the potatoes are tender then add the rest of the corn.

Add the half and half and cream and adjust the seasonings.

Garnish as desired.

Detours at La Fonda

Opening in early February on the lobby level at the corner nearest the Plaza, our stylish shop, Detours at La Fonda, brings our home to yours. A wide range of unique, affordable New Mexico gift items can be found here, along with traveler essentials and home furnishings inspired by La Fonda designer Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter. Whether it’s genuine art, from oil paintings to tableware, or La Fonda logo items, home decor, or personal luxuries, the store offers hours of happy browsing for anyone who loves to shop for the unique and unusual.

It's a Good Time To...

Off thee must wend to the art museum, which is having a free public opening (Feb. 5) with two complementary exhibitions, refreshments and performances by the medieval ensemble Musica Antigua de Albuquerque. At the Palace of the Governors, the Palace Press will be printing First Folio facsimiles, and visitors can pull their own prints to take home. The many activities planned this month include a Romeo & Juliet workshop on creating character at the Scottish Rite Center (Feb. 16), a sonnet workshop at the New Mexico History Museum (Feb. 18), and a free showcase from local directors of Shakespeare at the St. Francis Auditorium (Feb. 21). In anticipation of this auspicious event, La Fonda has assembled a special Shakespearean package featuring two museum passes, breakfast for two and a discounted room rate through the end of February.

Music

World-music acts perform back to back this March, including mariachi heavy-metal band Metalachi at Skylight (March 7); Niger’s hit band Tal National (March 12); and Japan’s Taiko drummers, who bring their high-energy sound to the Lensic complete with costumes and acrobatics (March 2). Ireland’s acoustic group Lunasa joins Grammy-winning country singer Tim O’Brien (March 19) at the same venue, followed by a celebration of African music in diaspora with globalFest’s Creole Carnival Tour (March 24).

Film & Performance

Veteran comic Paula Poundstone brings her one-woman show to the Lensic (Feb. 4), followed by a cheeky revue from the male British dance company BalletBoyz (Feb. 11).

The legendary comedy troupe Second City keeps the mood light for Valentine’s Day with their show “Hooking Up” (Feb. 12). Also at the Lensic, Mountainfilm screens the best of outdoor and adventure films from the Telluride Mountainfilm Festival (Feb. 18).

Out & About

Sample all the restaurants on your bucket list during Santa Fe Restaurant Week (Feb. 21-28), when fixed-price menus are offered from top eateries (including La Plazuela’s special menu). New restaurants are added each week, so keep checking the website to make reservations.

The Art of Home Tour is a self-guided sampling of 12 adobe homes, each showcasing art from different Santa Fe galleries (Feb. 27-28); donations go toward bringing art programs to schoolchildren.

The Museum of International Folk Art celebrates the Asian New Year for its opening of Sacred Realm: Blessing and Good Fortune Across Asia (Feb. 28).

La Fonda and Santa Fe In the News

La Fonda's Chairman of the Board, Jenny Kimball, is featured in the Santa Fe New Mexican's Local Entrepreneur Profiles.READ MORE